CN112825290B

CN112825290B - Key structure and keyboard

Info

Publication number: CN112825290B
Application number: CN201911148170.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈弘基; 陈顺彬; 庄惠婷; 戴文杰; 潘奕忻
Original assignee: Acer Inc
Current assignee: Acer Inc
Priority date: 2019-11-21
Filing date: 2019-11-21
Publication date: 2023-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 2039-11-21
Also published as: CN112825290A

Abstract

The invention provides a key structure which comprises a base, a light sensing module, a carrying platform, a magnetic piece, a key cap and a scissor structure. The light sensing module is arranged on the base, the carrying platform is arranged above the base, the magnetic piece is arranged on the carrying platform, and the key cap is suitable for being assembled to the carrying platform through the magnetic attraction of the magnetic piece or is suitable for being disassembled from the carrying platform against the magnetic attraction of the magnetic piece. The scissors structure is connected between the base and the carrying platform, and the carrying platform and the keycaps thereon move up and down relative to the base through the scissors structure. The front projection of the magnetic piece on the base is not overlapped with the front projection of the light sensing module on the base. A keyboard is also disclosed.

Description

Key structure and keyboard

Technical Field

The invention relates to a key structure and a keyboard.

Background

In terms of the current usage habits of electronic devices (e.g., computers), a keyboard is one of the indispensable input devices for inputting characters, symbols or numbers into the electronic devices. Recently, along with the trend of miniaturization of electronic devices, keyboards are all developed in the directions of light, thin, short and small. However, the existing keyboards have key caps, scissors legs, elastic members and other elements, which have a certain volume and are unfavorable for the development trend of miniaturization of products.

In general, the key structure of the existing keyboard mostly has only on and off functions. When the key is pressed down, the switch circuit is turned on to input corresponding instructions, and when the key is released and rebounded, the switch circuit is turned off to end the instructions. However, with the popularization of electronic competition games, the existing keyboard cannot meet the requirements of electronic competition players. For example, some game programs require further keyboard keys that can simultaneously exhibit speed, force, direction of motion, and continuous control over the course of motion. Accordingly, the related keyboards with linear keys are also generated, which can enable the game program to determine the delay time or speed of the output command by the strength of pressing the keys so as to achieve the control effect.

However, for the user, the corresponding keyboard needs to be replaced according to different use environments or objects, which causes inconvenience in use. Therefore, how to increase the application range of the keyboard and to increase the convenience is a real problem that needs to be considered and solved by the related technicians.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a key structure and a keyboard, which can replace a keycap and sense the type of the keycap through a light sensing module.

The key structure comprises a base, a light sensing module, a carrying platform, a magnetic piece, a key cap and a scissor structure. The light sensing module is arranged on the base, the carrying platform is arranged above the base, the magnetic piece is arranged on the carrying platform, and the key cap is suitable for being assembled to the carrying platform through the magnetic attraction of the magnetic piece or is suitable for being disassembled from the carrying platform against the magnetic attraction of the magnetic piece. The scissors structure is connected between the base and the carrying platform, and the carrying platform and the keycaps thereon move up and down relative to the base through the scissors structure. The front projection of the magnetic piece on the base is not overlapped with the front projection of the light sensing module on the base.

The keyboard comprises a base, a light sensing module, a carrying platform, a magnetic piece, a keycap and a scissor structure. The base has a thin film circuit. The light sensing module is arranged on the base. The carrying platform is arranged above the base. The magnetic piece is arranged on the carrying platform. The scissors structure is connected between the base and the carrying platform, and the carrying platform and the keycaps thereon move up and down relative to the base through the scissors structure. The control unit is electrically connected with the thin film circuit and the light sensing module. After the light sensing module projects light to the key cap, the key cap reflects the light to the light sensing module. The key cap is suitable for being assembled to the carrier by the magnetic attraction of the magnetic piece or is suitable for being disassembled from the carrier against the magnetic attraction of the magnetic piece so that the keyboard is suitable for replacing different types of key caps, and the control unit judges the types of the key caps according to the reflected light rays generated by the key caps received by the light sensing module.

Based on the above, the key structure is configured on the magnetic piece on the carrier, so that the keycap can be assembled to the carrier due to the magnetic attraction force generated by the magnetic piece, or the keycap can be applied with an external force to overcome the magnetic attraction force, so as to detach the keyboard from the carrier. In addition, the light sensing module is arranged on the base and is used for receiving light reflected from the keycap after providing light for the keycap, so that the type of the keycap is judged, and in the key structure, the orthographic projection of the magnetic piece on the base is not overlapped with the orthographic projection of the light sensing module on the base, so that the path of the light can be unblocked without obstruction, and the control unit of the keyboard can judge the type of the keycap according to the light reflected by the keycap and provide a key function corresponding to the type.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a key structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the key structure of FIG. 1 in another view;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the key structure of FIG. 1 after assembly;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a key structure according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing electrical relationships between parts of the keyboard of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a keyboard for changing key caps according to an embodiment of the invention.

Reference numerals illustrate: 10: keyboard with keyboard body

100. 100A, 100B: key structure

110: base seat

111: an opening

112: thin film circuit

114: support frame

114a, 114b: fastening part

120: light sensing module

130: carrier table

131: penetration region

141. 142: magnetic member

150. 250: key cap

151: cap body

152: spring

160. 260: scissor structure

161. 261: first linkage member

162. 262: second linkage member

171. 172: sensing region

180: control unit

252: rubber dome

261a, 262a: penetration part

261b, 262b: non-penetrating part

d1, d2: height of (1)

S01, S02, S03, S04, S05: step (a)

X-Y-Z: rectangular coordinates

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a key structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows the key structure of fig. 1 in another view. Fig. 3 is a side view of the key structure of fig. 1 after assembly. Referring to fig. 1 to 3, in the present embodiment, the key structure 100A includes a base 110, a light sensing module 120, a carrier 130, a magnetic member 141, a key cap 150 and a scissors structure 160. The base 110 includes a support 114 and a thin film circuit 112 thereon, wherein the support 114 provides a corresponding latching portion 114a to connect with a scissors structure 160, the photo-sensing module 120 is disposed below the base 110 and corresponds to the opening 111, the stage 130 is disposed above the base 110, the magnetic member 141 is disposed on the stage 130, the scissors structure 160 is connected (pivoted) between the base 110 and the stage 130, and the key cap 150 is disposed on the stage 130. The key cap 150 includes a cap body 151 and a spring 152, and the cap body 151 is abutted to the thin film circuit 112 through the spring 152. Accordingly, the stage 130 and the key cap 150 thereon can move up and down relative to the base 110 by the scissors structure 160. Referring to fig. 1, when the key structure 100A is pressed by an external force, the key cap 150 and the carrier 130 drive the scissors structure 160 to change states to move toward the negative Z-axis direction until the key cap 150 starts the switch of the thin film circuit 112. In contrast, when the external force of the pressing is released, the elastic force accumulated by the spring 152 during the previous pressing drives the key cap 150 and the carrier 130 to move toward the positive Z-axis direction, and the scissors structure 160 is restored to the original state to achieve the reset effect, so that the switch of the thin film circuit 112 is turned off.

Furthermore, the key cap 150 of the present embodiment is adapted to be assembled to the carrier 130 by the magnetic attraction of the magnetic member 141 or to be disassembled from the carrier 130 against the magnetic attraction of the magnetic member 141. In other words, the key structure 100A of the present embodiment can be replaced by the user to facilitate the corresponding operation environment, which will be further described later. In this embodiment, the key structure 100A further includes a magnetic element 142 disposed on the inner surface of the key cap 150 and beside the sensing region 171, and the magnetic element 142 disposed in the region of the key cap 150 is also required to be offset from the sensing region 171 so as not to overlap the two. Here, the

magnetic members

141 and 142 are used to generate the required magnetic attraction force to enable the key cap 150 to be firmly assembled on the carrier 130, but the present embodiment is not limited to the arrangement of the magnetic members. For example, in other embodiments not shown, only a single magnetic element may be disposed on one of the key cap or the carrier, and the other of the key cap and the carrier is made of a magnetically permeable material, so as to generate the magnetic attraction force required for assembly.

In this embodiment, after the light sensing module 120 projects the light to the sensing area 171 of the key cap 150 along the path, the sensing area 171 reflects the light to the light sensing module 120 along the path. Further, the light sensing module 120 of the present embodiment includes a light source and a receiver, such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED) and a light detecting diode (PD), which are not shown here. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the chain line from the light sensing module 120 to the key cap 150 is used to show the path and range of the light, the light emitted from the light source of the light sensing module 120 sequentially passes through the opening 111, the inside of the scissors structure 160, the penetrating area 131 of the carrier 130 to the sensing area 171 on the key cap 150, and the light is reflected by the sensing area 171 with specific optical characteristics, so that the reflected light is reversely transmitted back to the light sensing module 120 along the path, thereby being beneficial to the sensing of the reflected light by the light sensing diode. Here, the characteristic optical characteristic includes at least one of a pattern or a tone scale.

Accordingly, in order to ensure that the path of the light or the reflected light is unobstructed, the key structure 100A of the present embodiment needs to further define the relevant components on the path of the light. For the base 110, it has an opening 111 for light to pass through. For the stage 130, since it is located on the path of the light and cannot be avoided, the stage 130 is actually made of a transparent material, such as a transparent PC (Polycarbonate), so that at least a part (such as the penetration region 131) and even the whole region can be transparent, that is, at least a part of the stage 130 is transparent and located on the path. More importantly, the front projection of the magnetic element 141 on the base 110 is not overlapped with the front projection of the photo-sensing module 120 on the base 110, so that the magnetic element 141 is not on the path of the light path, that is, the magnetic element 141 on the carrier 130 needs to be dislocated from and not overlapped with the penetrating region 131. Likewise, magnetic element 142 also has the same limitations as magnetic element 141.

It should also be mentioned that the scissors structure 160 of the present embodiment is not in the path of the light or the reflected light to avoid blocking the light. Further, the scissors structure 160 includes a first linking member 161 and a second linking member 162 pivotally connected to each other and to the holding portion 114a of the bracket 114 of the base 110, wherein the carrier 130 is pivotally connected to the first linking member 161 and the second linking member 162, and the second linking member 162 has a space for passing light or reflected light. In detail, the front projections of the first and

second links

161 and 162 on the base 110 form a closed contour, and the front projection of the avoiding space on the base 110 is a part of the closed contour, that is, a dot chain line representing the path of the light or the reflected light, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, passing through the inner ranges of the first and

second links

161 and 162 and being adjacent to the inner edge space of the second link 162.

For the scissors structure 160 of the present embodiment, since the light or the reflected light is biased toward the second linkage member 162, the second linkage member 162 can only further limit the volume thereof compared to the first linkage member 161 so as to be beneficial to the formation of the avoidance space. That is, the front projection area of the second linkage member 162 after the volume is reduced on the base 110 is substantially smaller than the front projection area of the first linkage member 161 (without the aforementioned avoiding space) on the base 110. Accordingly, the second linking member 162 of the present embodiment is made of metal, and the first linking member 161 is made of plastic or Polyoxymethylene (POM), so that the second linking member 162 can maintain a certain structural strength even in a smaller volume.

The manufacturing methods of the first linkage member 161 and the second linkage member 162 are not limited herein, and generally, the linkage member (such as the first linkage member 161, but not limited thereto) that does not need to form the avoidance space may have a larger volume and be made of plastic or paraformaldehyde, while the linkage member (such as the second linkage member 162, but not limited thereto) that does need to form the avoidance space may have a smaller volume, but may be made of metal on the premise that the structural strength thereof needs to be maintained. Thus, the scissors structure 160 is expected to combine the first linkage 161 and the second linkage 162 by insert molding. In another embodiment, the first and second interlocking members of the scissors structure are made of metal material and form the avoiding space, so that the key structure is assembled without considering the assembling direction, thereby improving the convenience of assembling.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of a key structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 4, most of the key structures 100B of the present embodiment are the same as those of the previous embodiment and will not be described again, and the key caps 250 and the scissors structures 260 of the key structures 100B are different from those of the previous embodiment, wherein the portions related to the key caps 250 will be described later. In this embodiment, the scissors structure 260 is transparent and is partially positioned in the path of light or reflected light. Further, the scissors structure 260 of the present embodiment includes a first linking member 261 and a second linking member 262, which are respectively pivoted to the holding portion 114b of the bracket 114 of the base 110, and a portion of the first linking member 261 and a portion of the second linking member 262 are respectively transparent and located on the path of the light or the reflected light. As shown in fig. 4, the first linkage member 261 has a penetrating portion 261a and a non-penetrating portion 261b, and the second linkage member 262 has a penetrating portion 262a and a non-penetrating portion 262b, wherein the penetrating

portions

261a and 262a are located on the same side, and the

non-penetrating portions

261b and 262b are located on the opposite side. Here, the first and

second links

261 and 262 are respectively formed by injection molding a transparent PC (Polycarbonate) and an opaque Paraformaldehyde (POM), wherein the transparent PC forms the penetrating

portions

261a and 262a and the opaque paraformaldehyde forms the

non-penetrating portions

261b and 262b. In this way, the first linking member 261 and the second linking member 262 are respectively combined with a transparent material and a non-transparent material, and the transparent material is partially located on the path of the light and the reflected light, so that the light or the reflected light can penetrate the penetrating

portions

261a, 262a.

In another embodiment, not shown, the scissors structure can also be of a transparent design, so that the convenience in assembly is improved without considering the assembly direction.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing electrical relationships between parts of the keyboard of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a keyboard for changing key caps according to an embodiment of the invention. In the above embodiments, the

key structures

100A and 100B have different types of

key caps

150 and 250 for the user to replace, so as to be beneficial to different use environments. Accordingly, in the keyboard 10 of the present embodiment, when the user replaces the key structure 100, the keyboard 10 can determine the type of the key cap to provide corresponding function instructions in the subsequent operations.

In detail, the keyboard 10 of the present embodiment further includes a control unit 180 electrically connected to the thin film circuit 112 and the light sensing module 120 of the key structure 100, wherein the key structure 100 is a key structure 100A or a key structure 100B as described above.

It should be noted that the key structure 100A or the key structure 100B of the foregoing embodiment is different from the key cap 250 in that the key cap 150 includes the cap body 151 and the spring 152 (e.g. a linear spring), and thus forms a linear key structure. The linear key structure 100A herein provides continuous control of speed, force, direction, and course of action according to the degree to which the key cap 150 is pressed. On the other hand, the key cap 250 includes a cap body 151 and a rubber dome (rubber dome) 252, which form a key structure 100B with other members belonging to a standard key structure, i.e., providing only a simple instruction of on/off. Since the key cap 150 or the key cap 250 is assembled to the carrier 130 by magnetic attraction, the user can replace the

key cap

150 or 250 as desired.

Accordingly, when the user performs step S01, i.e. the key caps are replaced (e.g. the

key caps

150 and 250 are replaced), then in step S02, since the

sensing areas

171 and 172 of the different types of

key caps

150 and 250 have different optical characteristics, e.g. different patterns or different color levels, the reflected light will also generate different sensing results after being sensed by the light sensing module 120. Therefore, the control unit 180 can determine the type of the key cap (e.g. the key cap 150 or the key cap 250) according to the light sensing module 120 receiving the reflected light generated from the key cap (e.g. the key cap 150 or the key cap 250).

In addition, referring to fig. 3 again, the key cap 250 shown in fig. 4 is drawn on the right side of the drawing to facilitate alignment. In this embodiment, the control unit 180 determines what kind of key cap is based on the optical characteristic of the reflected light, and the optical characteristic refers to the time from when the light sensing module 120 projects the light to the

key cap

150 or 250 until the reflected light is received, so as to determine the height of the key cap 150 or the key cap 250 relative to the base 110, as shown in fig. 3, the height d1 of the cap body 151 of the key cap 150 of the key structure 100A relative to the thin film circuit 112 of the base 110, and when the key cap 250 of the key structure 100B is replaced, the height d2 of the key cap 150 relative to the thin film circuit 112 is smaller than the height d1.

For example, when the control unit 180 determines the key structure 100A, the control unit 180 executes step S03, and the control unit 180 maintains the activated state of the light sensing module 120, so that the light sensing module 120 continuously senses the key cap 150, and determines the pressing stroke of the key cap 150 or the position thereof relative to the base 110, so that the control unit 180 drives the thin film circuit 112 to provide the corresponding instruction, thereby achieving the effect of the linear key structure. When the control unit 180 determines that the key structure 100B is on, step S04 is performed, namely, the control unit 180 turns off the light sensing module 120, because the key structure 100B only needs to have the corresponding on/off command. In addition, when the control unit 180 cannot determine what the key structure is, it may represent that the key cap is not yet assembled to the stage or that other assembly errors exist, and step S05 is performed, the control unit 180 provides the warning information to the user through the warning unit, so that the user can further confirm the state of the key structure.

In summary, in the above embodiments of the present invention, the key structure is configured by the magnetic member disposed on the carrier, so that the keycap can be assembled to the carrier due to the magnetic attraction generated by the magnetic member, or the keycap can be applied with an external force to overcome the magnetic attraction, so as to detach the keyboard from the carrier. And the light sensing module is arranged on the base and is used for receiving light reflected from the key cap after providing light for the key cap, so that the type of the key cap is judged, and further, the thin film circuit is driven subsequently to give an instruction corresponding to the key structure.

In addition, in the key structure of the above embodiment, the front projection of the magnetic element on the base is not overlapped with the front projection of the light sensing module on the base, so that the path of the light can be unobstructed. In addition, in order to make the light sensing module have a smooth sensing process, the related components on the path along which the light or the reflected light passes also need to use a smaller volume or transparent material to facilitate the penetration of the light (or the reflected light), wherein the scissors structure is designed with a smaller volume according to the situation, but is made of a metal material to ensure the structural strength. In addition, the scissors structure can be made of dual plastic materials by injection, so that the first linkage piece and the second linkage piece are respectively provided with a penetrating area and a non-penetrating area.

Claims

1. A key structure, comprising:

a base;

the light sensing module is arranged on the base;

the carrying platform is positioned above the base;

the magnetic piece is arranged on the carrying platform;

a key cap adapted to be assembled to the stage by a magnetic attraction force of the magnetic member or to be disassembled from the stage against the magnetic attraction force of the magnetic member; and

a scissors structure connected between the base and the carrying platform, wherein the carrying platform and the keycaps thereon move up and down relative to the base through the scissors structure,

the front projection of the magnetic piece on the base is not overlapped with the front projection of the light sensing module on the base, the light sensing module projects light to the key cap, the key cap reflects light to the light sensing module, and the light sensing module receives the reflected light generated from the key cap to judge the type of the key cap.

2. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the light sensing module projects light along a path to a sensing region of the key cap, and the sensing region reflects light along the path to the light sensing module.

3. The key structure of claim 2, wherein at least part of the stage is transparent and is located on the path, the magnetic member not being on the path.

4. The key structure of claim 2 wherein the scissors structure is not on the path.

5. The key structure according to claim 4, wherein the scissors structure comprises a first linkage member and a second linkage member pivoted to each other and to the base, the carrier is pivoted to the first linkage member and the second linkage member, and the second linkage member has a space for passing the light or the reflected light.

6. The key structure of claim 5, wherein an orthographic projection of the first and second interlocking members on the base forms a closed contour, an orthographic projection of the escape space on the base being part of the closed contour.

7. The key structure according to claim 5, wherein the second linking member is made of metal, and the first linking member is made of plastic.

8. The key structure of claim 2, the scissors structure being transparent and partially positioned on the path.

9. The key structure of claim 8, wherein the scissors structure comprises a first linkage member and a second linkage member, each of which is pivotally connected to the base, and a portion of the first linkage member and a portion of the second linkage member are transparent and are located on the path.

10. The key structure of claim 9, wherein the first and second interlocking members are each combined with a transparent material and a non-transparent material, and a portion of the transparent material is located on the path.

11. The key structure of claim 2, adapted to replace different types of key caps, and the different types of key caps respectively have sensing regions with different optical characteristics.

12. The key structure of claim 11 wherein the optical characteristic comprises a pattern or a tone scale.

13. The key structure of claim 2, further comprising another magnetic element disposed on the key cap and corresponding to the magnetic element on the carrier, the other magnetic element being located on the key cap at a position different from the sensing region and not on the path.

14. A keyboard, comprising:

a base having a thin film circuit;

the light sensing module is arranged on the base;

the carrying platform is positioned above the base;

the magnetic piece is arranged on the carrying platform;

a key cap; and

the scissors structure is connected between the base and the carrying platform, and the carrying platform and the keycaps thereon move up and down relative to the base through the scissors structure; and

a control unit electrically connected with the thin film circuit and the light sensing module,

wherein after the light sensing module projects light to the key cap, the key cap reflects the light to the light sensing module,

the key cap is suitable for being assembled to the carrying platform through the magnetic attraction of the magnetic piece or is suitable for being disassembled from the carrying platform against the magnetic attraction of the magnetic piece, so that the keyboard is suitable for replacing different types of key caps, and the control unit judges the types of the key caps according to the reflected light generated by the key caps received by the light sensing module.

15. The keyboard of claim 14, wherein the light sensing module projects light to the sensing area of the keycap along a path, the sensing area reflects light to the light sensing module along the path, and the sensing areas of the different types of keycaps have different patterns or different color levels, respectively.

16. The keyboard of claim 15, wherein at least part of the stage is located on the path and transparent, the magnetic member not being on the path.

17. The keyboard of claim 15, wherein the scissors structure comprises a first linkage member and a second linkage member pivotally connected to each other and to the base, the stage pivotally connected to the first linkage member and the second linkage member, the first linkage member having a space for passing the light or the reflected light.

18. The keyboard of claim 17, wherein the first linkage is metal and the second linkage is plastic.

19. The keyboard of claim 15, wherein the scissors structure comprises a first linkage and a second linkage, each of which is pivotally connected to the base, a portion of the first linkage and a portion of the second linkage being transparent and co-located on the path, respectively.

20. The keyboard of claim 19, wherein the first and second links are each plastic.